A more unlikely race vehicle we couldn't imagine. Piaggio's three-wheeled Ape is the ultimate cheap, utilitarian vehicle. By combining a pickup bed or van-style back with a cheap and economical scooter engine, it's neither fast nor exciting, but proved imminently practical for post-war Italy. Finding a home both on farms and in the city, it's still being used for tasks ranging from pizza deliveries to mobile produce stalls.

Such is the ubiquity of Apes and their parts that they've proved ideal candidates for a low-cost, street-based racing series. A video of race Apes in action follows the jump. >